Means for furling sails.



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No. 863,444. PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. H. .RAGBNER.

MEANS FOR FUELING SAILS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21. 1906.

PATENTED AUG. 13, 1907. H. RAGENER.

MEANS FOR FUELING SAILS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 21,1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

rue roams PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, u) c.

PATENTED AUG.-13, 1907. H..RAGENER.

MEANS FOR FUELING SAIL S. AFPALIOATION FILED SEPT.21.1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UNITED STATES PATENT osnron...

HEINRICH RAGENER, OF LEHE, GERMANY.

MEANS FOR FUELING SAILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 13, 1907.

Application filed September 21, 1906. Serial No. 835,658.

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in square sail rigging for sailingvessels.

It is old to provide a square sail which is reefed or furled in verticalbreadths by hauling in the outboard leeches toward the mast.

It is the object of my invention to supply a device of this kind inwhich provision is made for the adjustment of the standing rigging towhich the foot of the sail is attached and seeming the inboard clews orlower center of the sail.

With these general objects in view, my invention consists in thefeatures and combination of parts hereinafter described and particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows two yards, arranged oneabove the other, between which is a sail one half reefed and the otherhalf set. Fig. 2 a detail view on an enlarged scale showing a portion ofa mast and slightly more than one half of a yard or spar provided withadjustable standing rigging embodying my invention. Fig. 3 is anelevation of a sail such as is employed by me. Fig. 4 is a detail viewof an adjusting device employed in connection with my invention.

Referring to the drawings, R is a spar or yard each half of whichcarries two hoops M, M one at the outer end and one near the mast.Diametrically through each of these hoops, M, M, and through the spar,pass threaded rods, s, s, which are engaged by nuts m, m, bearing 011the upper surfaces of the respective hoops. The rods 8, s, have eyes attheir upper ends, as shown. Each half of the yard is provided with astanding rig serving as a jack-stay and comprising a flexible stay orrope j, secured to the outer end of the yard, passing through the eyesof the rods 8, s, and then through an eyebolt b secured to the spar. Theinner end of the stay j is provided with an eyelet or thimble c, whichengages a hook on the end of a tightening screw or turnbuckle (2 whoseother end is attached to a hoop D at the center of the spar. By turningthe nuts m, m, the rods 8, 8, may be raised or lowered, thereby movingthe jack-stay closer to or farther away from the spar. The tighteningscrew d allows the jack-stay j to be taken in or let out to accommodateit to the adjustment of the rods 8, 3, While maintaining a propertension upon said jackstay j. The sail is held between two yards, beingconnected to the upper one B, in any suitable way which will permit thesail to be furled inward toward I the mast, as for example, by providingthe upper yard R with a rail 7) upon which the head of the sail maytravel. The foot of each half of the sail is provided with blocks ortravelers g which run on the jack-stay j.

In order to maintain a clear space at the mast for the passage of staysand other rigging, the central portion of the sail is cut out in theform of a curve, and is secm'ed by a lacing f to a bow E whose ends aresecured preferably to the inner hoops M, the cen ter of the bow beingconnected to the upper spar R by means of a support or red t. To thissupport 6 are secured pulley blocks 1 through which pass ropes 2 whichare led outward along one face of the sail through rings n on thecorresponding outboard leech ropes and inward to the support t where thefixed ends of said ropes are tied. These ropes serve as brails orauxiliary inhauls in reefing the sails.

It is preferable that the sail be made in two halves as shown in Fig. 3,the inboard leeches h h of which are fastened to the upright support 6by means of suitable lashings. Suitable inhauls and outhauls areprovided as indicated at K, L, Fig. 2 in the same manner as is usual insails reefed vertically toward the center. The yard R is supported fromthe mast in any suitable way, as for example, by a sling chain D securedto hoops D, 'D- on the mast and yard respectively.

By my invention the sail may be tensioned as de sired by moving thejack-stays closer to or farther from the yard, thus permitting anydesired amount of bellying or flattening of the sail to be obtained, andin particular allowing an adjustment of the jackstays to be made tocompensate for variations in the sizes of new sails when bending them tothe yards. The bow E not only gives a clearance for the stays passing tothe mast, but also distributes the strain at the inboard clews of thesail over a larger area than with the ordinary clew rings so that thedanger of the sail being blown away is materially reduced.

.Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is: v

1. The combination, with a square sail, and a lower yard for the same,of a jack-stay carried by said yard to which jack-stay the foot of thesail is connected, means for adjusting the jack-stay toward and from theyard, and means for tensioning the jack-stay.

2. The combination, with a square sail, of a lower yard, :1 flexiblejack-stay carried by the lower yard, travelers carried by 'the foot ofthe sail and movable on said jackstay, and means for adjusting thejack-stay to and from the lower yard.

3. The combination, with an upper yard, and a lower yard, of a squaresail having its lower center cut out in a curve substantially asdescribed, of a bow connected to the lower yard, lacing's securing thesail along its said cutout portion to the bow, and jack stays at eachside of the 10 bow and connected to the foot of the sail and to thelower yard.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence 01'two witnesses.

HEINRICH RAGENER.

Witnesses CARL HILLRICHS, HERMANN FEDDER.

